Fluid separator and heater



July 31', 1928, I 1,679,090 F. .E. LAMMERT- 1 1 FLUID SEPARATOR AND HEATER Filed'Feb. 18', 1926 Patented July 31, 1928.

UNITED STATES FERDINAND ERNST LAM-MERT, OF- CHICAGO, ILLINGIS.

FLUID SEPARATOR AND HEATER.

Application filed February 18 1926. Serial No. 39,246. i

My invention relates primarily to a pcculiar type of oil separator used in separat is used in connection with an oil burning apparatus or other apparatus wherein a heating effect is desired my invention not only separates oil but uses the heat due to the compression of the air or gases to heat the fuel oil for an oil burner or other heating that may be used wherewith a conservation of the heat is of value.

The object of the invention is to collect in the simplest manner possible as much of the entrained oil as is possible to collect from air or gases that havepassed through the pump and at the same time in collecting the oil use the sameoil collecting apparatus as a radiator to radiate heat to heat the fuel oil in the case of oil burners as an assistance in making the fuel oil more fluid and more easily atomized by the burner and in any case. to conserve-as much of the heat as possible that is imparted to the discharged fluid of the pump andothus save a loss of this heat by using the heat over again for a heating purpose'in some medium wherein this heat may be conservedofor a useful purpose or in the absence of using this heat thus collect'edin the oil separator the object in some instances will be that of cooling down the discharge from; the pump rapidly and quieklyhy usingtheoil separator, it were, as a cooling apparatus. Thus, in either case, the heat from the fluid discharged by the pump will be taken up by the oil separating apparatus to be used either for heat for a useful purpose or to be quickly carried awayfor the purpose of cooling the discharged fluid.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical elevation of my apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus is composed primarily of a double-walled drum the outer wall of which is indicated by 2, an inner shell by 8, and. 4 indicates the space between the two walls. This double-walled drum is substantially a solid drum with the exception of a short space at the left of Fig. 1 wherein there isa clear opening 5 for a short distance in the bottom of the drum. The inner shell encloses a cylindrical chamber 6 and this chamber 6 as well as the space 4t between the two walls of the drum are closed at each end headersor head pieces? secured by bolts 8 into the separator rings 9 which rings are integral with the wall Qand the shell 3 or else permanently secured? The drum is supported as here shown upon the therein by welding or other means.

walls of the tank or reservoir 10 having the vertically inclined walls 11 with the flat bottom 12. This reservoir openingup through the space 5 into the interior of thecylindrical chamber 6 of. the drum. At theright end of the drum there isentered through the elbow 13 a pipe passagewayinto the cylindrical space (3 of the drum, the elbow 13 connecting to ,thepipe 14: which receives the discharge from a. compressor of any suitable type of either rotary or piston construction and the discharge from the cylindrical chamber passes out through the pipe 15 at the left of the machine through the end of the drum 7 at the left end. i r On the inside of this cylindrical chamber Gt'here is a wire netting drum 16 whichacts as a lining for the chamber 6' but this lining isomitted at each end as shown by the clear spaces 17 Fig. 1. Within this wire netting lining there is supported a spiral'eonveyor flange 18 woundv upon a central shaft 19 which may beeither tubular or solid but in thecase of its being; tubular the endswill be closed and thus. the'discharged fluidco ming through the pipe 14 and the elbow 13 into the cylindrical chamber 6 is forced by the fixed spiral conveyor flange 18 to rotate around the shaft 19 and round and round,

an r

as it were, within the wire netting lining 16 and finally passes out through the pipe 15 thus there is centrifugal, whirling, turbulent action produced on the fluids discharged through the chamber 6. A peculiar turbulence is brought about in the passage of this fluid due to the combination of the spiral flange 18 and the wire netting which results not only in producing a centrifugal or cyclonic action of the fluid passing through but also produces, as it were, a rotary individual movement of the dilferent particles of air bringing about a revolving contact with the wire netting which serves to bring the oil in contact either with the spiral flange 18 or the wire netting and thus lodge the oil free from the air or gases in which it is entrained and thus the oil is readily separated from the discharging fluids and runs down the walls of the chamher 6 and wire netting 16 to the bottom of the chamber finally passing through the space into the reservoir or tank at the bottom and from this tank the oil may be used over again or drawn oil through the pipe 20 at the bottom of the tank.

The centrifugal, cyclonic, and turbulent action of the discharging gases imparts heat to the inner shell 3 of the drum and thus this becomes a radiator wall highly efficient in taking the heat away from the gases which pass through the cylindrical chamber 6 and the wire netting lining assists in absorbing and taking the heat from the gases and transmitting it to the shell 3. In the case of the oil burner with which a compressor is often used the oil to be burned is circulated into the space 4; between the two walls of the drum coming into this space by the pipe 21 being discharged there rom by the pipe 22 thus circulating around the inner shell 3 of the drum and becoming heated thereby and thus the heat which has cost energyin making it in compression of the fluids in the compressor is utilized in heating the oil which goes to the burner and helps to put the oil in better condition to be atomized by the burner apparatus. Of course, where it is desirable, to cool the chamber rapidly with no thought of using the heat taken from the discharged fluids from the compressor then instead of fuel oil, a cooling fluid such as water may be circulated through this space I between the outer and inner walls of the drum.

Thus my apparatus not only brings about a very efficient separation of the entrained oil from the fluid from the compressor but likewise abstracts the heat from this fluid in a very etlicient manner and conserves the said heat when opportunity afl'ords for using the conserved heat.

The peculiar turbulence brought about by the spiral flange 18 and the wire netting lining of the cylindrical chamber 6 is highly ellicient in producing the results desired.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described having a cylindrical horizontally arranged shell lined with a wire netting within which there is a spiral air deflector having a cylindrical core forming a spiral passageway for a fluid to be cooled, an aperture in the lower side of the said shell for the escape of a separated liquid, in combination with a jacket about the said cylinder in which there may be passed a medium adapted to absorb the heat.

2. In an oil recovery and fuel oil heating apparatus, the combination with a cylindrical shell provided with an oil outlet, of a lining of wire netting for said shell, a header provided with a compressed air inlet closing one end of saidshell, a second header provided with a discharge opening closing the opposite end of saidshell, an outer concentric wall, provided with oil inlet and discharge openings, spaced from and concentric with said shell terminally closed by said headers and provided with a passage connecting with said oil outlet of said shell, and a spiral air deflector having a cylindrical core fitting inside said wire lining.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a cylindrical shell provided with a fluid inlet at one end and a fluid outlet at an opposite end, a lining of wire netting within said shell, an outer concentric wall spaced from said shell provided with li uid inlet and discharge openings, a spiral uid deflector fitting inside said wire lining and a reservoir arranged for receiving liquid from said shell.

Signed atGhicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 29th day of J anuary, 1926.

FERDINAND ERNST LAMMERT. 

